Technical Innovations and Aesthetic Developments of Timepieces on Display at the Frick Museum

The Portico Gallery of the Frick Collection museum where the timepiece exhibit is being held.

An exhibition that just opened at the Frick Collection museum explores the discoveries and innovations made in the field of horology from the early 16th to the 19th century. It features 16 clocks and 14 watches that chronicle the evolution over the centuries of more accurate and complex timekeepers and illustrate the aesthetic developments that reflected Europe’s latest styles. 

Mantel Clock with Study and Philosophy (circa 1785 - 1790). Made of patinated and gilt bronze, marble, enameled metal, and glass. Movement by Renacle-Nicolas Sotiau, figures after Simon-Louis Boizot. Photo credit: Michael Bodycomb

Titled, “Precision and Splendor: Clocks and Watches,” the exhibition is being shown in the new light-filled Portico Gallery of the stately mansion that was once the home of American industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The exhibition will run till February 2014.

Breguet Decimal Watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet and Antoine-Louis Breguet. Gold and silver double-dial desk watch showing decimal and traditional time. The traditional time subdial was added approximately 12 years after by Antoine (Circa 1795 and after 1807).

Luxury watch brand, Breguet, is a major sponsor. The exhibition concludes with three of its early timepieces—including a watch that displayed “decimal time,” a short-lived movement in 18th Century France that divided the day into ten hours and the year into ten months. 

Breguet gilt-bronze Carriage Clock by Abraham-Louis Breguet and Antoine-Louis Breguet with Calendar (1811).

The exhibition, which I attended Wednesday, examines both the mechanical innovations that increased the accuracy of the timepieces along with the elaborate ornamentation. At first, these pieces were prized for their innovation and their beauty and owned by only the wealthiest individuals as show pieces. Slowly through technical advancements that made them more portable, less expensive, more reliable and more of a necessity, they became widely available. 

Gilt-Brass and Silver Table Clock with Astronomical and Calendrical Dials (Circa 1653). Photo credit: Michael Bodycomb

The existence of mechanical clocks was made possible by an invention known as an escapement. Falling weights (and later springs) provided the energy to power the clock’s mechanism, while the escapement regulated the rate at which that energy was delivered to the oscillator (at first a simple balance and later a pendulum). The introduction of the escapement gradually caused the shift away from time-finding devices (sundials) and time-measuring devices (water clocks) to timekeepers (clocks and later watches) as advances in science and technology were made.

Gold and Enamel Pendant Watch (back view). Movement by Henry Arlaud enameling by Pierre Huaud II (circa 1685) It depicts the painting "The Toilet of Venus" by Simon Vouet. Photo credit: Michael Bodycomb

In addition to the Breuget timepieces, other notable pieces in the collection include an Augsburg Maker, gilt-brass tower table clock (circa 1580), which displays time only by the hour; a spring-driven pendulum clock on a bracket in a elaborate case made of gilt bronze, enameled metal, and glass (circa 1735); and a gold and enamel pendant watch (circa 1685) that depicts the painting The Toilet of Venus by Simon Vouet.

The Frick Collection galleries is located at 1 East 70th St.

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Barbara Berger’s Costume Jewelry Collection at MAD Museum

Miriam Haskell Pearl Grape Cluster necklace, circa 1950, was inducted into MAD's permanent collections, June 25, 2013.

Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger opened June 25 and is scheduled to run till Jan. 20, 2014. It features more than 450 pieces of costume jewelry by designers such as Marcel Boucher, Balenciaga, Kenneth Jay Lane, and Gripoix, which is a small portion of the approximate 4,000 items of costume jewelry she owns.

David Mandel glass, metal necklace, circa 2000.

A major portion of the exhibition is dedicated to the works of Miriam Haskell, an American costume jewelry brand that produces hand-crafted, made-to-order pieces in New York. One of the works, a gilded metal and pearl grape cluster necklace, has been donated to MAD as part of its permanent collection. The vintage piece was said to be designed by Frank Hess in the 1950s, and exhibits classical Miriam Haskell workmanship and materials of Russian gold plated brass, baroque glass pearls and crystal rose montées, completed by a torsade of glass seed pearls.

Miriam Haskell bib necklace with glass beads, rhinestones, gold plated, 1950.

The daughter of an American diamond merchant, Berger began her collection when she purchased a pair of Chanel earrings at a French flea market as a teenager.

Chanel glass, simulated pearls, enameled metal wristlet, circa 2000.

Many of the works in exhibition were expressly made to be worn with haute couture clothing by fashion designers that range from Chanel to Yves Saint Laurent, and Dior to Dolce & Gabbana. The exhibition also underscores the popularity of couture jewelry.

Miriam Haskell tassel necklace, circa late 1950s.

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication on the Barbara Berger collection published by Assouline. It will also include lectures and panel discussions, designer-led exhibition tours, and hands-on jewelry workshops and demonstrations in MAD’s 6th floor Open Studios.

The exhibition was organized by McFadden, William and Mildred Lasdon, in collaboration with jewelry historian Harrice Simons Miller, as guest curator.

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The Famed and Mysterious ‘Cheapside Hoard’ Jewels to go on Display at Museum of London

Bloodstone carved into the form of a strawberry leaf. Photo Credit: Museum of London

The Cheapside Hoard, considered the world’s largest and finest collection of jewelry from Britain's Elizabethan and early Stuart periods, will go on display at the Museum of London, beginning October 11.

Emerald, diamond and enamel Salamander brooch. Photo Credit: Museum of London

The items were found accidentally by construction workers 101 years ago hidden in a London cellar near St. Paul’s cathedral. Even though many of the pieces have been exhibited at different times and at different venues, it will be the first time that the entire collection of 500 pieces will be placed on display.

Colombian emerald watch. Photo Credit: Museum of London

The pieces include cascading necklaces, Byzantine cameos and jeweled scent bottles. Highlights include a cabochon emerald and yellow gold salamander brooch, a watch mounted in a single large emerald with a translucent green enamel dial, and enamel and gem-set Elizabethan necklace chains decorated with floral motifs.

Gold and enamel chain with floral links. Photo Credit: Museum of London

An oval gem engraved with the heraldic badge of William Howard, the first and only Viscount Stafford, (1612-1680), was the latest datable item in the collection. This and other clues led researchers to conclude that the treasures were buried between 1640 and 1666.

Carnelian intaglio with Stafford heraldic badge. Photo Credit: Museum of London

“The Cheapside Hoard has been swathed in mystery, rich in questions that had been left unanswered for too long,” said Hazel Forsyth, exhibition curator. “The Stafford intaglio has been absolutely vital in shedding new light on the collection, providing crucial dating evidence for the deposition of the Hoard between 1640 and 1666, and making a specific link to an individual who had international connections and a penchant for collecting gems and antiquities.”

Cabochon emerald ring. Photo Credit: Museum of London

The name, cheapside, was the name of the main shopping street in London during the 17th Century—cheap actually meant market. There were jewelers who worked on the street.

Byzantine amethyst cameo depicting St George and St Demetrios, 6th century AD. Photo Credit: Museum of London

There is still plenty of mystery that surrounds the Cheapside Hoard. For example, researchers are fairly certain that the hoard represents a goldsmith-jeweler’s stock-in-trade. However, no one knows who this person was and why he hid the items and never returned for them.

Onyx cameo depicting Aesop's Fable, The Dog and the Shadow. Photo Credit: Museum of London

The exhibition will consider these questions and others and will present the pieces within its historical context that will reflect the craftsmanship, taste and fashion of the period. It will also look at London’s role in the international gem trade in its age of global conquest and exploration.

Gold and enamel pendant set with two sapphires and an irregular polished spinel. Photo Credit: Museum of London

The exhibition will run till April 27, 2014. Sponsors of the event are luxury jewelry house, Fabergé, and its owner, colored gemstone miner and marketer, Gemfields.

Gild brass verge watch – the Hoard’s only signed piece, c1600. Photo Credit: Museum of London

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Gold bow pendant set with rose-cut and step-cut foil-backed rubies and table-cut diamonds. Photo Credit: Museum of London

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Jane Austen’s Ring Attracts the Attention of Kelly Clarkson, An English Museum and the British Government

A gold and turquoise ring once owned by Jane Austen and purchased by Kelly Clarkson. Photo credit: Sotheby's

In July, 2012, American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson successfully bided for a gold and turquoise ring once owned by the famed novelist Jane Austen at Sotheby’s London auction. She paid dearly for the ring, spending 152,450 pounds ($235,654), approximately five times the high estimate of approximately $45,000. The sale seemed legal and binding but then the British government swooped in, suddenly declaring it a national treasure and refusing to release the ring until the Jane Austen's House museum can raise enough money to match Clarkson’s winning bid, according to the Associated Press.

The museum at Austen's former home in Chawton, southern England, said Monday it has raised 103,200 pounds ($160,000), nearly all of it from one anonymous benefactor. It has until December to raise the remaining funds, according to the AP. Clarkson has agreed to sell the ring if the museum raises the funds. The museum did try to purchase the ring at the Sotheby’s auction but lost to the singer.

The ring’s origins are somewhat mysterious, according to reports. Some Austen fans suspect it was a gift from Tom Lefroy, an Irishman who may have been romantically involved with Austen. Austen corresponded with Lefroy during the time that she wrote her most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. Some speculate — as dramatized in the 2007 film Becoming Jane – that Lefroy was the inspiration for Austen’s most memorable character, Mr. Darcy. However, at least one literature expert, Gabriel Heaton, believes that it may have been a gift from Austen’s brother Henry, who acted as her literary agent. The ring is found in a box from a jeweler in the City of London, where Henry worked as a banker.

Austen left the ring to her sister Cassandra and it remained in the family until the auction.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was one of as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, as the author of several romantic novels revolving around Regency-era families of the lower English gentry. 

The British government’s heavy handling of this situation is reminiscent of this scene from the movie Pirate Radio. 

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A Look Inside the ‘Jewels By JAR’ Met Museum Exhibition

The darkened JAR exhibition space. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

While stumbling in the dark bumping into other journalists (not literally but close) during the press preview of the “Jewels by JAR” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a common theme emerged. It changed how they view jewelry. The room was dark, the jewelry (art works really) glowed in the orange and red display cases and dazzled nearly all who saw them.

Orange Peel Brooch, 2001; Garnets, diamonds, enamel, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

One prominent jewelry writer told me she doesn’t think she can ever wear jewelry again after seeing the 400 pieces on display. My lovely wife, who gets to view a lot of jewelry because of my work, no longer bothers to look at pieces that she now views as inferior.

Three Seashell Brooches, From top: Oriental pearls, diamonds, platinum, silver, gold; private collection, 2006. Spinels, rubies, silver, gold; private collection, 1990. and Spinels, diamonds, silver, gold; private collection, 2009. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco 

That’s the thing about viewing jewelry (or anything) that is truly unique as those created by Joel A. Rosenthal, who of course is the man behind JAR. It increases your knowledge of a subject. It increases the possibilities of what can be done with a strong philosophy and dedication to that core value. It changes how you view everything. It can even redefine the things you value.

Rose Brooch, 2013; rubies, sapphires, spinels, diamonds, silver, gold; private Collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Not everyone got it. One person whom I know well came up to me in the dark and said she didn’t understand why the room had to be darkened. She didn’t get the jewelry. She didn’t understand how someone with absolutely no pedigree in the luxury jewelry world can suddenly move to Paris, set up shop at Place Vendôme, perhaps the world’s most famous shopping district, and gain such a reputation among the world’s wealthiest and most demanding jewelry buyers.

Lilac Brooches, 2001–2; diamonds, garnets, sapphires, aluminum, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

These are all fair questions that I’ve wondered about. It is unlikely we will ever get an answer. Rosenthal rarely gives interviews. He agreed to give a select few interviews for the exhibition, which opened Wednesday, including one with Vanessa Friedman of the Financial Times. She observed that Rosenthal pretty much does “what he wants, when he wants, for who he wants,” makes others in the creative professions envious. However, she added, “It is hard to know the kind of sacrifices it really demands.”

Snowflake Brooch, 2002; diamonds, platinum, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

There was something that Rosenthal said in that interview that struck me.“I don’t care what the world thinks of me. But do I care, very deeply, what the people I care about think.”

This to me is an expression of the sacrifices he has made, his loyalty to those who has helped him achieve his vision, and how he feels about those who told him his concept of jewelry design as art would never work.

Five-Row Diamond Necklace with Pendant Ring, 1999; diamonds, platinum; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

In the darkness of the room with the glow of lights from the displays, I had no idea how my photographs would come out. I'm happily surprised.

The retrospective of Rosenthal's 35-year career as the head of JAR will run till March 9, 2014.

Five Wild Rose Brooches, 1991; Oriental pearls, rubies, sapphires, amethysts, garnets, citrines, diamonds, platinum, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

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Bow Knot Brooch, 2012; diamonds, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Ribbons Bracelet, 1990; diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Top: Moon and Stars Pendant Earrings, 2011; sapphires, diamonds, silver, gold; private collection. Bottom: Pendant Earrings, 2011; sapphires, diamonds, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Wall of butterflies. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Pendant Earrings, 2012; zircons, diamonds, platinum; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Drop Pendant Earrings, 2012; diamonds, platinum, silver; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Sheep's Head Brooch, 1997; sapphires, aluminum, gold; Suzanne Syz. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Top: Owl Brooches, 2011; fire opals, aluminum, gold; private collection. Bottom: Swan's Head Earrings, 1987; diamonds, coral, sapphires, steel, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

From left: Pendant Earrings, 2010; spinel, Oriental pearl, diamonds, rubies, platinum; private collection. Elephant Brooch, 1987; agate, Oriental pearls, diamonds, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Lily of the Valley Brooch, 1991; Oriental pearl, diamonds, platinum, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Oak Leaf and Acorn Earrings, 1990; Wood, gold; Susan K Gutfreund. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Necklace, 2005; diamonds, ribbon, silver, gold; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Pendant Earrings, 2013; chalcedony, diamonds, platinum, gold; Private collection. This is one of JAR's latest creations. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Tulip Brooch, 2008; rubies, diamonds, sapphires, garnets, silver, gold, enamel; private collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Handkerchief Earrings, 2005; diamonds, silver, gold; private collection.  Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

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Met Museum to Sell Exclusive Jewelry Designed by JAR

JAR Lilac Brooches, 2001; diamonds, lilac sapphires, garnets, aluminum, silver and gold. From a private collection. Photograph by Jozsef Tari, courtesy of JAR, Paris.

To coincide with highly anticipated Jewels by JAR exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the museum has announced that the famous jewelry artist has created a small collection of jewelry for the exhibition that will be available for purchase. 

The items include eight pairs of earrings and two watches ranging in price from $2,000 to $7,500. These pieces will be available exclusively at the Museum through the close of the exhibition. 

The museum, probably at the request of the renowned jewelry designer, will not have photographs available of the items for sale until November 18. The picture above will be one of the pieces in the exhibition and not for sale at the Special Exhibition and Mezzanine Gallery Shops. 

The exhibition Jewels by JAR will run from November 20, 2013, through March 9, 2014. The exhibition features more than 400 works by Joel A. Rosenthal, who works in Paris under the name JAR. Jewels by JAR is the first JAR retrospective in the United States and the first at the Metropolitan Museum devoted to a contemporary artist of gems.

Born in New York and educated at Harvard, Rosenthal moved to Paris soon after graduation and began to experiment with jewelry making. He opened JAR in 1978 on the Place Vendôme, in the same space he occupies today. 

“JAR jewels quickly became known for their unique design, the exquisite quality of the gemstones, and their remarkable craftsmanship—but above all for their fearless beauty,” the museum said in a statement. “Rosenthal’s extraordinary, one-of-a-kind creations place him among the ranks of history’s greatest jewelers.” 

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You Can Buy JAR Jewelry at Metropolitan Museum Exhibition

La Dame Aux Gardenias (The Invisible Flower of Madame X), white resin & 18k clip earrings, $4,000.

As I previously promised, I have the photographs of jewelry by Joel A. Rosenthal, better known to jewelry lovers across the globe as JAR, that he created specifically for the exhibition, Jewels By JAR, which opens Wednesday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and runs till March 9, 2014. They are available for purchase exclusively at the museum.

Carnaval à Venise red titanium earrings with gold Venetian glass, $2,000.

The pieces include earrings made of resin, 18k over aluminum, titanium and Venetian glass ranging in price from $2,000 to $7,500. There are also two watches designed for the event that cost $600. These creations will be available exclusively at the Museum through the close of the exhibition. These are not limited edition pieces but they are numbered.

Tickle Me Feather clip earrings, 18k over aluminum, $7,500.

The exhibition will be the first retrospective in the United States of JAR’s work and the first retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum devoted to a contemporary artist of gems. It is only the second time his pieces were available to be seen at an exhibition, with the first being in London in 2002.

JAR watches in two styles, $600 each. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Born in New York and educated at Harvard, Rosenthal moved to Paris soon after graduation and began to experiment with jewelry making. He opened JAR in 1978 on the Place Vendôme, in the same space he occupies today.

Carnaval à Venise black titanium earrings with gold Venetian glass, $2,000.

“JAR jewels became known for their unique design, the exquisite quality of the gemstones, and their remarkable craftsmanship—but above all for their fearless beauty,” the museum said in a statement. “Rosenthal’s one-of-a-kind creations place him among the ranks of history’s greatest jewelers.”

Tickle Me Feather violet clip earrings made of resin and 18k gold, $4,000.

The exhibition is described by the museum as a retrospective of his work for the 35 years he’s been designing jewelry under the JAR name. The exhibition of 400 works, mostly from private collections, presents a rare glimpse into the work of JAR and the museum store provides a rare opportunity to buy one of his pieces. 

View my write up of the exhibition by clicking this link. 

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